76ers Looking Better on Injury Front Ahead of Celtics Matchup

The 76ers are improving on the health front before their rematch against the Celtics.

Following a tough showing against the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night, the Philadelphia 76ers hit the practice court on Thursday to prepare for their next outing on the road.

According to The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Keith Pompey, the Sixers had two key players back in the mix during Thursday’s session.

The first name that stands out is Kelly Oubre, who’s been off the court for several weeks. After suffering a fractured rib off the court earlier this month, Oubre was expected to miss a significant amount of time. While the timeline changed for the better, the Sixers’ veteran sharpshooter still missed a large chunk of their November schedule.

Earlier this week, Oubre returned to practice as a limited participant. When the Sixers hit the road to New Orleans, he was expected to travel for the first time since the incident took place. Nick Nurse ruled Oubre out for Wednesday’s matchup early but left the door open for a potential return on Friday against the Boston Celtics.

With Oubre getting cleared to practice as a full participant on Thursday, that’s a positive sign he could suit up for Friday’s game against their Eastern Conference rival. The last time the veteran took the floor was during the Sixers’ November 10 matchup against the Detroit Pistons. At the time, Oubre was averaging 16 points on 38 percent shooting from deep in his first eight games with the Sixers.

In addition to Oubre, the 76ers trotted out Nic Batum on the practice court. Although Batum’s been healthy and competing with the team over the previous six games, he left Wednesday’s outing early with a setback after checking in for 14 minutes. 

There was no indication that Batum’s in-game setback was severe, and his presence at practice on Thursday proves there’s a good chance he could be on the floor for their matchup against the Celtics. If the Sixers have both veterans available to them, they should be in good shape as they look to take a 2-1 lead over the Celtics in the regular season series.